Sealing means for movable panels



Feb. 2, 1960 J. MERCIER 2,923,266

SEALING MEANS FOR MOVABLE PANELS Filed Oct. 22, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR lean Meficzefi ATTO R N EY$ Feb. 2, 1960 J, MERGER 2,923,266

SEALING MEANS FOR MOVABLE PANELS Filed Oct. 22, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- 5 9 6? 6201 lNVENTOR ATTO R N EYS United States SEALING MEANS FOR MOVABLE PANELS Jean Mercier, New York, N.Y., assignor to G.M.E.

Corporation, a corporation of New York atent C) This invention relates to the art of sealing means and more particularly to sealing means for pivotally mounted hatch covers.

As conducive to an understanding of the invention, it is noted that where hatch covers are provided for a hatchway and are of the type that comprise one or more pivotally mounted panels movable from closed horizontal position over the hatchway to open substantially vertical position, if when the cover is in closed position, there is no dependable seal between the cover and the coaming of the hatchway, leakage will occur with resultant spoilage of the contents of the hatch.

Where a seal is provided which is subjected to excessive pressure when the hatch cover is in closed position, it will rapidly deteriorate and break down with resultant leakage. Where the sealing means, when the hatch cover is in closed position, is subjected to the full pressure of the waves, leakage past the seal may also occur.

Where a plurality of panels are provided and the edge of one of the panels is drawn along the coaming of the hatchway as the panels are moved to open position, the resultant friction will soon cause destruction of the seal adjacent such edge.

It is accordingly among the objects of the invention to provide sealing means for the cover of a ,hatchway that is relatively simple in construction, strong and durable and notv likely to become deranged or injured even with repeated use and which is substantially unaffected by the action of the waves thereagainst and which will dependably seal the hatchway without likelihood of leakage thereinto.

According to the invention, a resilient sealing strip is associated with the periphery of the hatch cover panel and is adapted to provide a. continuous liquid seal between the panel and the frame-or coaming of the hatchway when the panel is in closed position. The sealing strip has associated therewith a baflie plate which serves the dual function of preventing excessive compression of the strip and also to break the force of the waves thereagainst. The strip has an associated gutter positioned internally thereof to collect any liquid that may possibly leak therepast and a duct is provided to discharge any liquid that may collect in the gutter.

Where a plurality of pivotally mounted panels are provided to close the hatchway, and the edge of a panel is drawn along the frame. or coaming as the panel-is moved to open position, suitable rollers are provided for such panel near said. edge, which ride along the side of the frame and means are provided to actuate the rollers in such manner that the seal along such edge will be displaced from the frame before the panel is moved.

This application is a continuation-in-part' of co-pending application Serial No. 128,229, filed November 18, 1949, now abandoned.

Patented Feb. 2, 1960 In the accompanying drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a hatch cover in open position,

Fig. 2. is a detail view of the junction between two of the panels of the hatch cover,

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevational view showing the seal spaced from the hatch cover frame,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 with the seal against the hatch cover frame,

Fig. 5 is a view of a hatch cover consisting of a pair of panels,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Fig. 8,

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the sealing strip retaining channels provided on the panels of Fig. 8.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and' 2 of the drawings, the hatch cover illustratively comprises a plurality of pairs of panels 11, 12, only a portion of the panel 11 of the second pair being shown, the panel 11 of the first pair being pivotally connected to the end of the hatchway as at 14. The panels 11 and 12 of each pair are provided with a pivotal or articulating member 15 and the panels 12 and 11' of adjacent pairs are provided with a connecting hinge 16. Each pair of panels is illustratively actuated by suitable hydraulic units 17 which react against the articulating member '15 to move the panels to open and closed position. V

As the construction and operation of the panels and hydraulic units is fully shown and described in Patent No. 2,491,261, dated December 13, 1949 and forms no part of the present invention, it will not be further described.

According to the invention, sealing means are associated with the periphery of the hatch cover panels. The sealing means desirably comprises an elongated strip 21 of rubber or other like compressible material which may be hollow if desired and capable of being inflated.

The sealing strip, when the panels are in closed position as shown in Fig. 4, is adapted to press against a track 22 extending around the periphery of the hatchway to provide a dependable seal.

The track 22 has an upstanding flange 23 along its inner edge, so that when the panels are in closed position a gutter 24 will be provided to collect liquid which may leak past the seal and a duct 25 leads into the gutter to discharge any liquid that may collect therein.

'Desirably the sealing strip has a depending flange 26 associated therewith and mounted on the panels so that when the panels are in closed position the flange 26 will rest on the track 22 to prevent excessive compression of the sealing strip'and the flange also serves as a bafile to prevent excessive pressure against the sealing strip by the action of the: waves thereagainst.

The sealing strip 21 extending along the adjacent ends of the panels are positioned near the top of said panels as is clearly shown in Fig. 2 and a gutter member. 37 extends below and. along the length of the sealing strip near the panel top and has an associated drip member 38 to direct into the gutter any liquid leaking through the seal formed by the abutting sealing strips above the gutter and drip member and the liquid collected in said gutter will descend; at either or both endsthereof to the gutter 24 tobe discharged by pipe 25.

will be positioned adjacent the coaming 28 of the hatch cover, between the coaming and the sealing strip, to prevent any liquid that may collect in the gutter 37 from splashing into the hatchway as it descends into gutter 24.

The panel 12 adjacent hinge 16 and the free end of the panel 12 (not shown) bf the pair of panels remote from hinge 14 are provided with a roller 31 at each side which ride on the tracks 22. on each side of the frame. The rollers are eccentrically mounted so that when in the position shown in Fig.3, the sealing strip 21 will be spaced from the track 22 and when in the position shown in Fig. 4, the sealing strip 21 will be compressed against the track to form a dependable seal, the compression of the strip being limited by flange 26. V

Thus, when it isdesired to open the hatchway, the

rollers 31 are first rotated by any suitable means which may be hydraulic units, to move the sealing strip away from the track so that when the panels are opened no injury will be caused to the sealing strip by reason of the latter rubbing against said track as the end of panels 12 mounting the rollers is moved toward the pivotal mount 14.

To retain the panels in closed position, a pivotally mounted lever 33 is provided, mounted on the coaming 28 and which coacts with a plate 34 afiixed to the panel.

Figs. to 7 show a hatch door comprising a pair of panels 54, 55 provided with sealing strips so disposed that they form a continuous liquid seal with said panels and with the hatch frame and also a liquid seal between the two panels when the same are in closed position. The frame 43 comprises a bottom plate 44 from which extends an upright wall portion or coaming 45 about the hatch opening 45', said plate and said coaming 45, together with the interior vertical face of the frame 43 forming an open space 46 around the hatch opening. An angle-member 47 is secured to the outer face of wall portion 45 below the top edge thereof and carries a plate 48 spaced from the outer face of wall 45 so as to define therewith a continuous gutter-like channel 49. A downwardly directed pipe 50 is connected to gutter 49 so as to discharge any liquid contained in said gutter to a space lying exteriorly of the hatch frame 43. On the underside of the panel are provided two depending flanges 51 and 52 which form together a continuous channel extending along the lower horizontal edges of the panel. The frame 43 comprises the inner wall 45 extending from the frame bottom 44, the angle-member 47 secured to wall 45 below a on by water under abnormal conditions resulting from amazon brought to closed position to seal thereby the gap between the adjacent end faces 57 and 58 of the panels.

A gutter member 67 is mounted on the inclined end face 58 of panel 55 to extend below and along the joint formed by the strips 66 in the channel portions 64 and 64a in such a manner that both ends of the gutter member 67 come to lie above the gutter-like channel 49 along the sides of the coaming 45. Any liquid which may leak through the seal between the panels 54 and 55 will thus be collected by gutter member 67, and descend at either or both ends thereof to the gutter 49 from where it will be discharged by the pipe 50 in the same way as any liquid which may leak through'the continuous seal formed between the strips 66 on the panels 54 and 55 and the plate 48 along the sides of the coaming 45.

It will be noted that the flange 51 is adapted not only to prevent the continuous sealing strip from being compressed by the weight of the panel beyond a predetermined amount, but also to protect the continuous sealing strip against lateral pressure which may be exerted therehigh seas and bad weather.

With the constructions above described, the hatch covers will be dependably sealed without likelihood of leakage into the hatch. By reason of the eccentrically mounted rollers the seals may be broken before movement of the cover to open position thereby preventing injury to said seal by reason of excessive friction thereagainst.

As many changes could be made in the above construction, and many apparently widely different embodiments of this inventioncould be made without departing from the scope of the claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative 1 and not in a limiting sense.

7 Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United said frame to provide a continuous seal with respect. to

the top edge thereof, and the support plate 48 as previously described.

In the hatch door illustrated in Figs. 8 to 10, the two panels 54 and 55 each have two vertical side faces and a vertical end face, one of which is shown at 56. The adjacent end faces 57 and 58 of the panels are inclined with respect to the plane of the hatch frame so that the gap between the panels, when the same are in closed position, is inclined in relation to the horizontal. Each panel 54 and 55 has on its underside a continuous channel formed by the flanges 51 and 52. Said channels comprise horizontal portions 59, 60, 61 and 59a, 60a, 61a extending along the lower edges of the vertical faces of the panels 54 and 55, respectively; inclined portions 62, 63 and 62a, 63a extending along the side edges of the end faces 57 and 58, respectively, and a horizontal portion 64 and 64a, joining the upper ends of the channel portions 62, 63 and 62a, 63a, respectively. The channel portions 64 of panel 54 and the channel portion 64a of panel 55 are disposed so as to face each other when the panels are in closed position as shown in Fig. 8. In all the above described channel portions are mounted strips of resilient sealing material 66, the strips in the channel portions 59, 60, 61 and 59a, 60a, 61a being capable of engaging the support plate 48 to form a continuous liquid seal, with the hatch frame, and the strips in the channel portions 62, 63, 64 being capable of engaging the strips in the channel portions 62a. 63a. 64a, when the panels are a said frame when the panels are in closed position, the portions of the strips extending along the pivotally connected edges of said panel lying in a plane, when the panels are in closed position, above the plane of the remaining portions of the strips, gutters positioned in a plane beneath said strips on said frame, whereby when the panels are in closed position the liquid leaking past said strips may be collected, a duct connected to said gutters to discharge the liquid collected therein, a gutter mounted along one of the pivotally connected edges of one of said panels adapted to extend beneath the adjacent edge of the other panel to collect the liquid leaking between such pivotally connected edges, said last named gutter being in a plane, when the panels are in closed position, above the plane of the first named gutters, whereby the liquid collected in said last named gutter will descend at either end thereof into the first named gutter and a rigid strip extending along the periphery of said panel positioned exteriorly of the sealing strip adjacent the frame of the opening to prevent direct impact of liquid against the associated sealing strip.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1 in which a drip member is mounted along one of the edges of the other pivotally connected panel and extends above the gutter member on the associated panel, said drip member being sealing strips toward said gutter member.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Oldham June 4, 1912 Darbyshire Mar. 26, 1935 5 MacGregor Mar. 7, 1939 King Oct. 7, 1941 Great Britain Oct. 21, 1953 

